Broadway Market bar in ‘anti-social behaviour hotspot’ seeks late licence

Broadway Market. Photograph: Brenda Puech

Residents living on Broadway Market, recently designated as one of Hackney’s ‘anti-social behaviour’ hotspots, are up in arms over a cocktail bar’s proposals to extend its opening hours.

Over ten objections have been written in response to Off Broadway’s application to extend its licence to serve alcohol from midnight until 1:30am, and increase their opening hours until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Neighbours of the New York-style bar complain of noise and antisocial behaviour lasting long into the night.

In a written objection to the Council, one of the residents called the bar a “public nuisance”, saying: “My objection is that they disregard the terms of their licence as it is, by having regular lock-ins and music on the ground floor that is louder in our flat than our television.

Another resident complains: “Drunken revellers already use the whole market area to urinate and be sick in, this would only increase with more late night licences properties. Off Broadway make no effort regulate the people who drink outside often allowing drinking outside the bar till 2.30 – 3am.”

Anger misdirected

But owner Rupert Selby, who says Off Broadway is the only independent bar left on Broadway Market, told the Hackney Citizen that complaints about the revellers have been misdirected. “Because they’re near my bar, they’re perceived to be my problem,” he said.

Selby also pointed out that other premises in the area already have late licences, and the off licence shops also bring drinkers to the street.

Responding to the criticism Byron Knight, manager of Off Broadway told the Hackney Citizen: “It’s non-licensable before 11pm, all music stops before 11pm and the basement is fully soundproof. We have open mics on Mondays, that’s the only time we have live music.”

“And that stops before 11pm,” added Selby.

Selby said the council did not inform him of the complaints until three weeks ago, despite complaints being registered with the council for years. He added: “We’ve been open for seven years, had the occasional complaint, two a year on average. Which is really low, if you know the bar trade.”

A council officer’s report to be presented at the licensing committee meeting this evening recommends that since the bar is in the midst of a residential area, the application be rejected.

Mr Selby was confident ahead of the Town Hall meeting:  “There will be more people supporting us than complaining,” he said.

Update Friday 12 June

The application for Off Broadway was rejected at the licensing committee meeting last night (Thursday).

Committee members decided that the bar is “already a public nuisance” and that adequate measures had not been introduced to deal with the problem.

Owner Rupert Selby said: “I disagree with the profile of the bar made by the Licensing Representative. We will be operating at this location until I retire in twenty-five years, so we’re not in a hurry for change.”

“It’s a great street and it’s a shame that the millionaire middle-aged property owners and developers who objected to our application don’t enjoy the vivacity of the street that the young locals do. It was the same objectors when the street market opened eleven years ago.”

Resident Robert Grossman who had come to the committee meeting to object to the application said: “I like that bar, they’re nice people. I don’t think they take into account the fact that they operate very close to a lot of residents. I think if they did a little bit more, I think a lot more people would be more open with them.”